41. Drastically Changed

"How can he say that it's your and Hugo's child?" asked an exasperated Sherlyn. Sessy nodded in agreement. She also wanted to hear the answer to Sherlyn's question. Compared to Sherlyn, who was showing a lot of frustration, Sessy seemed calmer. But just from her gaze alone, anyone could understand there was anger there. "I... didn't really want to tell you this," Arleena said later with a pained expression. She was worried to see Sessy and Sherlyn's angry reactions now. "But, since you guys are pressuring me so much to tell you about the conversation with Justin, I'll say... he felt that I broke up with him because he was... pregnant and had a child." "So he was surprised that you were able to find a replacement so quickly and accused you of that?" guessed Sessy once again. Arleena pointed at Sessy while nodding her head without looking at her friend. Arleena was silent for a while, thinking about her conversation with Justin earlier. "That's right, he thinks that of me," Arleena replied. "But it's weird. Why does he have to say that I'm so bad, when he doesn't even realize that I'm wrong?" Sessy and Sherlyn were a little furious at the thought of Justin saying that. But they didn't really show it to Arleena, knowing that she was much more upset than the two of them. "I don't understand how he can be like that," Arleena said again, her hands clenched into fists as she felt furious. Sessy and Sherlyn looked at each other as they both noticed Arleena's clenched hands. In just a few seconds, Arleena's exasperated face turned red. Arleena growled and hit one of her own thighs with her clenched hand. Her eyes sharpened, her lips pressed tightly together as her chest filled with anger again. "God, you won't be able to escape my watch, Justin. If you're telling people all kinds of things about this baby..." "Arleena, never mind, don't think too much about the bad possibilities," Sherlyn replied in a lower, softer voice than before. Sherlyn reached out to Arleena's shoulders to give her a gentle caress. On the other hand, Sessy also grimaced at Arleena who looked very irritated. Sessy knew that Arleena couldn't give Justin a calm warning. So, Sessy had guessed that Arleena would give a sterner and harsher warning than usual. That's what Sessy was worried about. "He can't, he has to be given a stricter warning than before. She can't understand what I'm saying at all." Arleena said with an angry tone of voice. *** Arleena was hanging out with her division coworkers having dinner together. The cheers of all the people holding jugs of alcohol could be heard. They held up the jugs of alcohol in their hands while widening their smiles with satisfaction. It had been almost two hours since they had gathered in this place to celebrate the togetherness of the marketing division team. While everyone in the marketing team held a beer, only Arleena kept herself away from the alcohol. Arleena just patted her own stomach which felt very full after eating the meat she had ordered. Arleena was stuffed. She leaned back with her eyes closed and her head up. Her ears could hear the clinking of beer jugs against each other after the other team members cheered. "Arleena, don't you want to try this beer? Don't you love drinking alcohol?" One of the marketing team members asked Arleena. With her eyes still closed, Arleena groaned and shook her head. "No, I'm not in the mood for alcohol right now. I just want to... enjoy my very full stomach." Suddenly, Arleena's words caught the attention of the marketing division team members. In the midst of their drunken stupor, they looked at Arleena in confusion. This was a very strange thing for Arleena, as she had always been the most impatient person for any kind of alcohol. "I have to cut down on alcohol because I'm too addicted to it," Arleena said with a slight groan in her voice. Arleena couldn't open her eyes, the drowsiness attacking very strongly that second. "Hey, Arleena, you've really changed, all of a sudden in just a short time" replied Katrine, a woman from the same marketing division as Arleena. "Right, like... boom!" A snap of the fingers sounded from Patricia, she was already semi-conscious and her head was bobbing a few times. "You're turning into someone who wants to cut down on alcohol. Why?" Only then did Arleena open her eyes that had been closed. The direction of her gaze fell on Patricia who was still watching with her head up. Arleena chuckled before resting the right side of her face on her right hand. "I don't know how to explain to you, to all of you, but I have an important reason for my actions," Arleena replied in a casual tone. "You're not secretly having a child, are you?" Another voice suddenly sounded. Everyone fell silent, including Arleena. Arleena's smile slowly faded when she recognized the voice of this new arrival. Arleena deliberately fell silent and watched as her coworkers simultaneously turned to stare at the source of the voice. Their faces were both astonished and surprised. Some of Arleena's coworkers stared at Arleena with questioning looks after hearing the question that alluded to children. "Do you have children?" asked Patricia in surprise. Arleena, on the other hand, straightened her seat. The sound of steps stopping behind her made Arleena feel the same feeling she had always felt: annoyance. "I know who's coming," said Arleena before turning her gaze back.